Hollow Sunset
by dudebot
Summary: This is the story of a young trainer named Chrome who has yet to discover a destiny he is reluctant to have. Deep in the Zetsuna region, he will carve a new legacy for himself and learn about lives outside his own.
1. Chapter 1 - The Meeting

The sunrise looked good from Chrome's window. For years, he would think that as he rose from the bed. It was from the bed that he would immediately walk over to the computer and begin to surf the web. He checked his email frequently, hoping to see a message from Faust. Every time he checked, he would see the same thing: nothing. The depression from the lack of communication would push him back to his bed and he would sleep until mom cooked him breakfast.

He woke up to find his mom standing at his door with a ginger smile on her face. It was almost a teasing of the yelping excitement that soon followed.

MOM: Chrooooooooome!

CHROME:[thinking] . . . Isn't it too earlier to be this happy?

MOM: I know I'm supposed to be cooking breakfast and all, but I want you to get dressed and meet me outside.

CHROME: What for?

MOM: For a visit to Professor Nemo!

Chrome rarely ever talked to Professor Nemo. Though he loathed her duties to send kids on a journey of Pokemon training, she was a polite person. His mom and Professor Nemo were really close friends. There were times where it seemed like they did everything together. However, whenever they did any of that, they wouldn't normally pull Chrome into it. So, naturally, he was curious as to why she wanted him to come along at this particular moment.

Chrome put on his cap and his matching vest. It seemed like forever since he dressed properly enough to go outside. Melanchony would be so upset with him for not keeping up his appearance. As he walked out the house, he saw the scowl that he dreaded.

MELANCHONY: Chrome! I told you about staying inside!

CHROME: It's not like there's a lot to do out here.

MELANCHONY: What?! Are you saying that I'm no fun?

CHROME:[nervously] No, no, you're plenty of fun!

MELANCHONY:[glaring] You don't look like you're having so much.

CHROME:[forces a smile] I am! I am! See?

MOM:[walks up] Aw, it's so sweet to see you interacting with someone again.

PROF.: I agree, I was afraid you fell ill, Chrome.

CHROME: Oh, hello Professor Nemo.

PROF.: Good morning, Chrome. I could use a bit of help from you.

CHROME: Really? With what?

PROF.: Well, it's better that I show you.

Chrome, Melanchony, Mom and Prof. Nemo all made the walk to the lab. Chrome had never been inside of it before. It was quite huge. Assistants were working around the clock, but they seemed to stray away from a particular section. Of this section, there were three pokeballs laying on a table. Chrome only saw a pokeball once before. It was when Faust received his first pokemon. Before long, Chrome began to doubt tagging along.

Prof. Nemo picked up a pokeball and released the pokemon from it. It was a Pichu. The Pichu immediately began to spark with anger as static coarse through and around its body.

CHROME: What is that?

Everyone seemed a bit dumbfounded by the question.

MELANCHONY: You've been shacked in so long that you don't know about the most adorable pokemon in existence?

PROF.: It's a Pichu, Chrome. Normally, I would have here Snivy, Tepig and Oshawott. However, I've found it harder to find a Snivy lately and thus opted to replace one this time with a Pikachu.

CHROME: But you said that's a Pichu.

PROF.: Yeah . . . I'm not the best trainer. I couldn't find a Pikachu, so I thought I would catch a Pichu and evolve it. And that's where the problem begins.

CHROME: Problem?

PROF.: He won't listen to me. He's also shocking just about anyone that goes near him. A trainer tried to pick him the other day and he electrocuted him. The kid has been in bed since. Your mom told me that you have a knack for soothing pokemon.

Chrome did have a knack for soothing pokemon . . . when he was younger. He and Faust would go out into the field next to Nomnom Town and play with the wild pokemon. Though the adults in the town described them as insane and dangerous, they never seemed that way to him. Once, a group of wild pokemon even followed him home. That was a long time ago though. Now, he barely interacted with them.

CHROME:[nervously] What if it shocks me like it did the other kid?

MOM:[smiling] Well, you're in the bed all day anyways.

CHROME:[thinking] Mom, you're not worried enough about this. [speaking] I guess that makes sense.

Chrome began to walk towards the Pichu. Though still releasing volts, it seemed to calm down from watching Chrome's gentle approach. As Chrome came within inches, he rubbed behind its ear warily. For a moment, everything seemed to go well. It appeared Pichu even smiled. Chrome smiled back.

Then, he felt volts of electricity flow through his body with a rush like no other. The stinging pain immediately caused him to pass out.

He awoke, lying on his bed, to see his mom, Prof. Nemo and Melanchony all looking at him with smiles on their faces. It was pretty weird for Chrome and he was generally confused. Finally, he looked towards his stomach. Pichu was resting atop of him. The pokemon slept peacefully.

PROF.: It seems he's accustomed to your electrical current. Since you passed out, he refused to leave your side.

CHROME:[weakly] Mission accomplished, right?

PROF.: Yeah, it seems so.

Prof. Nemo suddenly laid the pokeball that held Pichu next to him. Chrome was generally lost, but soon shocked at what he heard next.

PROF.: Take good care of him, won't you?

It seems that he became a trainer. Though he was a little disgruntled with the sudden news, he was too weak to object at the moment. Lying there, he looked at Pichu again as it slept. Thinking back, Melanchony was right. It was pretty adorable.


	2. Chapter 2 - The Goodbye

CHROME: I don't think I would make that good of a trainer Professor Nemo.

PROF.: That's too bad because Pichu thinks you'll make a great trainer.

Chrome attention turned to the Pichu that rested on his shoulder. He hadn't willingly received his first pokemon and didn't really have any desire to be a trainer. He also doubted that he would be a good enough trainer compared to the ones on television that competed against the Elite Four. And then there was the Elite Four themselves. No one ever beat them on TV. If that was the goal of all trainers, would he end up wasting years of his life trying to accomplish that goal? He didn't think that would be too productive. As more time passed, Chrome's doubt increased.

Standing in Prof. Nemo's lab, he was set to put Pichu down and go back to his dormant life inside his room. Suddenly, he felt a jolt of electricity go down his spine. He turned to Pichu to see an angered face.

PROF.: It seems Pichu can read your emotions by your body's electrical current as well. There's no letting him down.

CHROME: I was afraid you would say that.

Chrome gave Pichu a reaffirming smile. Pichu's scowl vanished and his happiness returned.

Just then, Prof. Nemo unplugged a device from the computer that she was using and walked over to Chrome.

PROF.: Don't worry. I'm sure you'll do fine. You have a natural affinity when it comes to caring for a pokemon.[hands Chrome device] This is your Pokedex. It will give you information about any pokemon you encounter. It also carries a number of features I implemented myself. It's really handy.

CHROME: Not that I don't appreciate it, but why are you giving this to me?

PROF.: It's my job as professor. Besides, from what I saw earlier, you don't know too much about pokemon anyway. You need this. Also, you'll need these.

Prof. Nemo reached in a box and pulled out an armful of pokeballs.

CHROME: How am I supposed to carry all of those around?

PROF.: On your belt. Don't worry, they get smaller.

CHROME: Woah, that's pretty cool.

PROF.: Yeah. Even if you couldn't carry them on your belt, you could still carry them in your bag.

Chrome then remembered that he was without his bag. He got straight out of bed and into this situation. He normally carried it around whenever he went into the nearest city to shop. Seemed appropriate that he would carry it to the city for a different purpose.

He thanked Prof. Nemo and promptly headed home to grab his bag. Mom was in the kitchen, apparently washing dishes. He never understood why she did that when they had a dishwasher. As he opened up his closet, he noticed a new pair of shoes next to his backpack. His mom soon made their purpose apparent.

MOM: They're running shoes. They help you move a lot faster. Shelia and I saw them and thought they would match quite nicely with your silver vest and cap.

CHROME:[hesitantly] Thanks, mom.

MOM: I'm just glad you'll be getting out of the house, sweetie. I hated seeing you so down from Faust leaving.

Those words sealed the deal for Chrome. The last thing he would ever want to do is make his mother sad. As he looked at he, she was shining. She was so proud of this moment. How would she take it if he said he was reluctant? He would rather not find out as he put on a fake smile and left the house.

As he walked out into the open air, Melanchony blocked his path. Earlier in the day, she had been wearing a simple dress. Now, she word a red jacket and a skull cap that only covered half her hair. She seemed to be filled with excitement as she walked to him.

MELANCHONY: Chroooooooooome! Are you leaving?

CHROME: That's what it seems like.

MELANCHONY: Well, how about a quick Pokemon battle before you go?

CHROME: Pokemon battle?

MELANCHONY: Don't tell me you don't know what that is either?

CHROME: No, I'm pretty aware, I just didn't know you had a pokemon.

MELANCHONY: Oh yeah! I forgot to tell you. I picked my pokemon shortly after you passed out from shock. [releases her pokemon] He's an Oshawott, but I named him Izzy. By the way, what did you name your pokemon?

CHROME: Uh . . . his name is Pichu.

MELANCHONY: . . . So you didn't name him?

CHROME: Don't see the point in it.

MELANCHONY: Well, at least you're out the house.

CHROME:[thinks for a moment] Hey, if you have a pokemon, does that mean you're travelling to?

MELANCHONY: Yep. I'm becoming a Pokemon Master. I'm going to do it all. Contests, gyms and collecting. I'll be the best.

Chrome was reminded of Faust again. At least this time, he would be travelling too.

CHROME: Fine, let's have a battle then. [looks to his shoulder] Are you up for it, Pichu?

Pichu jumped from Chrome's shoulder gleefully. It hadn't battled since being captured and it was itching for a fight. Chrome was a bit intimidated by how scrappy his Pichu had become. Melanchony's Oshawott was prepared to fight as well.

MELANCHONY: Okay, Oshawott! Use-

CHROME: Pichu, Thundershock!

Pichu shocked Oshawott with the fierce power of pure lightning. It was only a moment long, but the battle already ended. Oshawott fainted. Melanchony stood in pure confusion at how fast the match ended.

MELANCHONY: Wait, what?

CHROME: I think I won . . .

MELANCHONY: How? So fast!

CHROME: Well, isn't it common sense that water conducts electricity? So, a water-type would lose immediately to electricity.

MELANCHONY: Shut up! I know common sense!

CHROME: [thinking] It really doesn't seem that way . . .

MELANCHONY: Well, it looks like I've got to stay behind a little longer and rest Izzy. [returns her pokemon]

Melanchony's excitement disappeared soon after. It was replaced with a type of sadness.

MELANCHONY: We should trade items.

CHROME: What do you mean?

MELANCHONY: You know, so we'll have something to remember each other by while we're apart. I'll start.

Melanchony took off her bag and reached in deep. She pulled out a set of red fingerless gloves.

MELANCHONY: Here. They're my favorite pair. Though, I doubt I'll ever actually wear them, so you can.

It didn't quite match with his scheme, but he wasn't going to let Melanchony down. He put them on and smiled. It was a touching enough moment, until he realized it was his turn.

Chrome didn't have anything in his bag except a spare set of clothes and the pokeballs he just received. As he rummaged through it, trying to find something practical to give Melanchony, he spotted a silver wristband. For a moment, he started to think he had an obsession with the color. Then, he remembered that it was a gift from Faust before he left to start his journey. He used to wear it a lot, but now, he barely saw it. So, he decided it would do.

Chrome handed her the wristband with hopes that she wouldn't attack him for such a crummy gift.

MELANCHONY: A wristband? That's an accessory I haven't tried out. I'll make it work.

Melanchony smiled back at Chrome, he blushed a little bit. Soon after, Melanchony would go back home to rest her pokemon. Chrome found himself at the entrance of Route 601.

This is where the journey begins . . .


	3. Chapter 3 - The Encounter

Route 601.  
Mom always called it the safest route in the Zetsuna region. Chrome could clearly see why. Almost every pokemon he encountered was as small as Pichu. That didn't stop the mouse from outright zapping the large majority of them. He was quite the fighter, even disobeying Chrome at times to attack wild pokemon. Whenever he became too scrappy, Chrome would simply return him to his pokeball for a time-out.

Chrome didn't spot any pokemon that he wanted to catch in particular. But then again, he rather not be catching pokemon at all. Still, if he was going to continue his journey, he would need to have at least two more pokemon before getting to Nova City. Chrome was not excited at all by the dull task of searching through the herd of pokemon to find one he liked. Maybe it was best that he just catch one of the Starly or Rattata and call it a day.

Suddenly, he spotted a noticeable green pokemon waddle pass. It was a Snivy. Chrome pulled out his pokedex to confirm. He suddenly remembered what Prof. Nemo said earlier. It was getting harder to find a Snivy. Even being disinterested in pokemon, he wouldn't dare pass up on such a rare opportunity. Even if he didn't like it, he knew that Prof. Nemo would definitely appreciate it.

Chrome called out Pichu from his pokeball. Pichu had long calmed down from his intial hot-blooded will to fight and was a bit more collected. He even seemed to be a bit obedient, awaiting orders from Chrome.

CHROME: Pichu, use Thundershock!

Chrome quickly discovered his first lesson that day. Grass pokemon are naturally resistant to electricity. This was made apparent by Snivy's cold reaction to the attack. After easily shaking it off, it unleashed a flurry of sharp leaves directed at Pichu. Pichu moved to all fours and began running at a sprightly speed in an effort to dodge them. It was then that Chrome concocted another idea. Capitalizing on Pichu's speedy dodge, Chrome called out the next attack.

CHROME: Pichu, use Quick Attack!

Quickly, Pichu charged at Snivy with full speed. The impact knocked Snivy to the ground, but the assault continued. Pichu began volleying Snivy around the grass until it was too dizzy to stand. Chrome took no time to throw his pokeball at the fainted pokemon. Once it touched Snivy, a red light seem to grab hold of the pokemon and cradle it inside. The mood became a bit intense. The ball shook once. Pichu stood ready to attack again. The ball shook twice. Chrome became a bit more nervous. The ball shook for a third time.

Snivy was captured.

Pichu celebrated the first capture with an entertaining dance that Chrome had never seen from him before. He seemed to be changing with each passing second. Then again, so did Chrome. Here he was catching his first pokemon. Just yesterday, he would be stuck in his room playing video games at this point in the day. He thought about doing an entertaining dance too, for a moment. Though, the occasion hadn't been as joyous to him as it was to Pichu. As he picked up the captured pokemon, he noticed Nova City in the distance. He was almost there.

?: Hey, kid! Wait up!

Chrome turned around to a man with a stylistic sense of taste. Dressed down in a black button-up and pants, his outfit was only contrasted by his green labcoat and thick-rimmed glasses. It was pretty snazzy for a man walking around a grassed area. The thing that stood out about him, however, was the "G" imprinted on his labcoat. A pretty nice design.

?: I noticed that you caught that Snivy. Well, me and my team could use that pokemon for our research.

CHROME: Team?

?: Well, yes, we're the Green Team.

Even Chrome felt that the name lacked a sense of creativity.

CHROME: It's not that I don't want to help, but this is the first pokemon I caught on my own.

?: In that case, I guess I'll have to take it from you.

Chrome was immediately shocked by the statement as the mystery man released his Shedinja from a pokeball. Pichu snapped back into seriousness.

?: Shedinja, use Shadow Ball!

Pichu barely dodged the ball void of light.

CHROME: Pichu, Thundershock!

At such a range, Chrome figured this attack should work well. However, it was here that Chrome would learn his second lesson of the day.

The attack seemed blocked by an invisible force. The mystery green man had a smirk on his face.

?: Shedinja has a nice little ability. It's called Wonder Guard.

What the man said, Chrome's pokedex confirmed. If he didn't have any move that was within weakness, all of his attacks were basically useless.

Shedinja followed up with another Shadow Ball. Pichu was helpless and unable to defend, taking the attack full on. He was knocked back next to Chrome as the trainer worried.

CHROME: Pichu, are you okay?!

Pichu got up and let off a weak smile, poised to battle again. Chrome didn't want to push the little guy too hard, but it would be difficult to escape those two. And with Wonder Guard, they wouldn't be able to do much of anything to them . . . unless . . .

CHROME: Hey Pichu, you wouldn't by any chance have a dark-type move up your sleeve, would you?

Suddenly, Pichu's demeanor changed. He looked at Chrome and gave a fiendish smirk. Immediately after, from his fur, Pichu pulled out a ball filled with electricity and threw it directly at Shedinja.

?: You should know by now that electric-type attacks don't wo-

The ball shattered across Shedinja's body, surprising the mystery man.

Chrome's pokedex beeped, indicating the move that Pichu had used. It wasn't an electric attack. The move he used was Fling. He threw whatever item he held on to at the time. And what he had was a "light ball".

Chrome and Pichu then took this time to run away towards Nova City.

?: Shedinja, quick, stop them!

Shedinja was unable to respond. The electricity the ball held managed to paralyze it and it couldn't make any moves. The mystery man attempted to chase after, but he couldn't compare to the speed of Chrome with his brand new running shoes. Chrome would really have to thank Mom when he got the chance.


End file.
